Sealed with a Kiss
by DaphneTheresaJackson
Summary: "To the most beautiful girl in the world..." Annabeth likes Percy. It's as simple as that. But not so simple. Because he confessed to her that he likes someone else. Even though she is devastated, Annabeth helps Percy tell the mystery girl that he likes her. Through a love letter. Percabeth AU COMPLETE
1. Teaser

**Welcome to the story everyone!**

**I'm going to point out now that this is only a teaser. The full story should be posted very soon, but I still appreciate any feedback that you've got to offer.**

**This is a Percabeth AU, so the gods don't exist. Percy and Annabeth are 17 and in high-school.**

**And thanks to my sister who wrote this story with me.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians**

* * *

She looked at him from across the room. Well, 'looked' was a bit of an understatement, as she had been staring at the back of his head for the past half hour. That wasn't a particularly abnormal act for a teenage girl who was sitting in the middle of her algebra class, but this was Annabeth Chase, and Annabeth Chase had never not payed attention to Mrs Walker, no matter how boring her classmates found the lesson to be.

The clock above the blackboard was ticking by agonisingly slowly, and you could almost hear the impatience of the twenty teenagers in that room who were watching it, eager to bolt out of the door and escape into the sunny afternoon.

But one boy was neither watching the clock nor Mrs Walker, and was instead gazing out of the window onto the grassy field of the Goode High School oval. He was tapping the end of his pen against his desk so loudly, that Annabeth could hear it from her seat two rows behind him. And apparently, she wasn't the only one.

"Mr Jackson?"

Both Annabeth and the boy were jerked out their daydreaming at the sound of Mrs Walker's voice. He sat up straight and stopped tapping his pen, and Annabeth smiled as he ran his fingers through his dark, shaggy hair before addressing their teacher.

"Yes ma'am?"

Mrs Walker sighed before answering, "I would appreciate it, Mr Jackson, if you could take a little time out of your day to pay attention in my class."

The boy grimaced, knowing that that was the last time he'd be called out without getting detention. Annabeth muffled a silent laugh that escaped her lips as she picked up her own pen, hoping she'd hear the sound of the Goode High bell – her ticket to freedom. And also partially because she hadn't completed more than three of the Worked Example problems that Mrs Walker had set for them that lesson.

Luckily, her wish was granted and she heard the school bell echoing throughout the corridors.

"Make sure that you've completed the Chapter Review by tomorrow's lesson," Mrs Walker called out to the bustling class. "Oh, and Mr Jackson? Make sure you are on time tomorrow."

Just before she left, Annabeth saw him salute and grin widely. "Sir, yes sir," he said. "You can count on me."

Mrs Walker smiled. "I hope so, Mr Jackson. Now go on, get out of here and enjoy your evening. You too Miss Chase."

Annabeth blushed as Mrs Walker gave her a knowing look.

"We will," the two answered together and hurried out into the corridor.

"Saved by the bell yet again," a voice said filled with obvious smugness.

Smiling, Annabeth replied, "Percy, your timing never ceases to amaze me."

"But it's just because I'm that awesome, am I right or am I right?" Percy said.

"Well, I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong." Annabeth shot back, leaving Percy frowning and contemplating the meaning of her remark.

"Anyway," Percy said catching up with her. "We're still on for tonight, right?"

They had reached their lockers by this time, and while she was already organising her books ready for the next day, he was banging on his locker door after its refusal to open.

"Of course," Annabeth said, trying to ignore the hypnotic aroma of Percy's shampoo. "Is Sally going to be there?"

"Mom's going out with Paul tonight, but she said that she'll leave some cookies in the oven for us. But, yeah, it's just us."

Annabeth's heart raced at the thought of the two of them being alone together, even though they had studied together countless times before.

"Awesome," she said, slamming her locker door shut and swinging her bag over her shoulder. "What are we working on tonight?"

Percy checked his phone before answering her. "We have that Chapter Review for Mrs Walker and I have an essay due next week."

"So you've been using that study app I got for you?" Annabeth asked, smirking.

Shoving his phone into his back pocket, Percy grabbed his own bag and began to weave his way through the mobs that cluttered the hallways.

"Yeah, I have," he said. "It has honestly saved my life this year."

"I knew it would."

"How'd you know that?"

"Because I know everything."

Percy scoffed. "You totally do not know everything."

"I beg to differ."

And so their contest began. There was an ongoing rivalry between the two and Annabeth won more times than Percy would care to remember. However, when competing against their other friends as well, an unspoken agreement ensured that they would always work together. They worked better as a team, and they preferred to be together anyway.

* * *

**Let me know what you think so far. I've almost finished the story but can't work out whether to post it as a long one shot or as a two or three chapter story. If you have any preferences, please let me know!**

**Kisses,  
Daphne**


	2. Part 1

**Thanks to everyone for the great response to this story. I was going to wait a bit longer to post this, but I couldn't ****_not_**** share it with you.**

**I've decided to post this story in two parts, and Part 2 should be out very soon. Please leave any feedback below!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO**

* * *

Part 1

She looked at him from across the room. Well, 'looked' was a bit of an understatement, as she had been staring at the back of his head for the past half hour. That wasn't a particularly abnormal act for a teenage girl who was sitting in the middle of her algebra class, but this was Annabeth Chase, and Annabeth Chase had never not payed attention to Mrs Walker, no matter how boring her classmates found the lesson to be.

The clock above the blackboard was ticking by agonizingly slowly, and you could almost hear the impatience of the twenty teenagers in that room who were watching it, eager to bolt out of the door and escape into the sunny afternoon.

But one boy was neither watching the clock nor Mrs Walker, and was instead gazing out of the window onto the grassy field of the Goode High School oval. He was tapping the end of his pen against his desk so loudly, that Annabeth could hear it from her seat two rows behind him. And apparently, she wasn't the only one.

"Mr Jackson?"

Both Annabeth and the boy were jerked out their daydreaming at the sound of Mrs Walker's voice. He sat up straight and stopped tapping his pen, and Annabeth smiled as he ran his fingers through his dark, shaggy hair before addressing their teacher.

"Yes ma'am?"

Mrs Walker sighed before answering, "I would appreciate it, Mr Jackson, if you could take a little time out of your day to pay attention in my class."

The boy grimaced, knowing that that was the last time he'd be called out without getting detention. Annabeth muffled a silent laugh that escaped her lips as she picked up her own pen, hoping she'd hear the sound of the Goode High bell – her ticket to freedom. And also partially because she hadn't completed more than three of the Worked Example problems that Mrs Walker had set for them that lesson.

Luckily, her wish was granted and she heard the school bell echoing throughout the corridors.

"Make sure that you've completed the Chapter Review by tomorrow's lesson," Mrs Walker called out to the bustling class. "Oh, and Mr Jackson? Make sure you are on time tomorrow."

Just before she left, Annabeth saw him salute and grin widely. "Sir, yes sir," he said. "You can count on me."

Mrs Walker smiled. "I hope so, Mr Jackson. Now go on, get out of here and enjoy your evening. You too Miss Chase."

Annabeth blushed as Mrs Walker gave her a knowing look.

"We will," the two answered together and hurried out into the corridor.

"Saved by the bell yet again," a voice said filled with obvious smugness.

Smiling, Annabeth replied, "Percy, your timing never ceases to amaze me."

"But it's just because I'm that awesome, am I right or am I right?" Percy said.

"Well, I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong." Annabeth shot back, leaving Percy frowning and contemplating the meaning of her remark.

"Anyway," Percy said catching up with her. "We're still on for tonight, right?"

They had reached their lockers by this time, and while she was already organising her books ready for the next day, he was banging on his locker door after its refusal to open.

"Of course," Annabeth said, trying to ignore the hypnotic aroma of Percy's shampoo. "Is Sally going to be there?"

"Mom's going out with Paul tonight, but she said that she'll leave some cookies in the oven for us. But, yeah, it's just us."

Annabeth's heart raced at the thought of the two of them being alone together, even though they had studied together countless times before.

"Awesome," she said, slamming her locker door shut and swinging her bag over her shoulder. "What are we working on tonight?"

Percy checked his phone before answering her. "We have that Chapter Review for Mrs Walker and I have an essay due next week."

"So you've been using that study app I got for you?" Annabeth asked, smirking.

Shoving his phone into his back pocket, Percy grabbed his own bag and began to weave his way through the mobs that cluttered the hallways.

"Yeah, I have," he said. "It has honestly saved my life this year."

"I knew it would."

"How'd you know that?"

"Because I know everything."

Percy scoffed. "You totally do not know everything."

"I beg to differ."

And so their contest began. There was an ongoing rivalry between the two and Annabeth won more times than Percy would care to remember. However, when competing against their other friends as well, an unspoken agreement ensured that they would always work together. They worked better as a team, and they preferred to be together anyway.

* * *

"The Trojan War."

"Fine. What's the capitol of Germany?"

"Berlin."

"The square root of pi?"

"1.772453."

"Mrs Walker's maiden name?"

"Stanley."

"How the hell did you know that?" Percy asked, completely baffled with his friend. He had googled a list of questions to ask Annabeth – who was sitting smugly in the driver's seat of his car – to try and get her to admit defeat. Of course, his attempts were unsuccessful and Annabeth claimed her victory.

"She was only married last year, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth smiled, rolling her eyes.

"Oh," he said. "I knew that."

"Of course you did."

Annabeth laughed as Percy grumbled silently to himself in the seat next to her. He knew how much she liked his car, so he let her drive every time they were together. So she ended up driving it more than he did. Sometimes Annabeth thought that Percy got annoyed by this, but he always smiled and said that he didn't mind.

Percy leaned over and turned down the radio as Annabeth pulled into the parking lot outside his apartment block. They greeted Argus the Door Man as they always did and made their way to the sixth floor. Unfortunately, the elevator was broken so they had to use the stairs. Annabeth didn't mind the extra exercise, but Percy, on the other hand, made his way into his apartment with staggering breaths and a sweaty forehead, complaining about the lack of maintenance in their side of the city.

After making herself at home, Annabeth began her work on her History project. She and Percy didn't share that class, but she had enough time to get a good start while he was pigging out on his mom's infamous blue cookies.

"What'cha doin'?" Percy's voice was muffled by the fact that his mouth was indeed filled to the brim with cookies. He handed one to Annabeth, who accepted graciously, before getting out his own workbooks.

"History project," Annabeth replied, taking a bite of the cookie in her hand. "It's on the Russian Revolution and the irony of the goals and ideals of a Utopian society that ended up being worse than the government that the Soviets had originally planned to overthrow."

Percy looked at her blankly. "You lost me at 'History project'."

"Well," Annabeth said, closing her book. "You're starting History next semester. You should probably get a head start. Read _Animal Farm_, that should help you understand it."

"What has a farm got to do with the Russian Revolution?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes for what felt like the thousandth time that day. But when you're friends with Percy, eye-rolling becomes almost natural.

"_Animal Farm_ was based off of the events of the Russian Revolution, but the author used animals to represent the characters from history. It was a rather ingenious idea if you ask me. The pigs who end up taking over the farm are actually supposed to be the corrupted Soviets who took control of their country. But the ironic fact of the story is that…" Annabeth trailed off as she realised that Percy had zoned out and was just blankly staring at her face.

She sighed. "You weren't listening to anything that I said, were you?"

"What?" Percy asked, blinking a few times before coming back to his senses.

"Never mind, it wasn't important."

Shaking her head, Annabeth decided that working on the Chapter Review for Mrs Walker was the most productive thing for herself and Percy to work on, as she knew that he was struggling with the unit.

While Annabeth was in the middle of explaining the process of rearranging formulas, Percy was tapping his pencil against the edge of the desk so hard, that it split in two, causing both of them to jump. She looked at him and raised her eyebrow.

"Really, Percy? _Really?_"she asked him while he just looked at her, smiling innocently.

"I'll be back," he said before leaving Annabeth at the coffee table. She didn't ask where he was going; he was either looking for a pencil or for his secret stash of blue cookies. Annabeth picked up the shards of what was left of the poor pencil and put them in the bin, before heading back to her seat and almost bumping into Percy.

"Whoa!" Percy said, steadying himself and Annabeth. "Where's the fire, Wise Girl?"

She simply rolled her eyes (again) and poked Percy's chest. "Well, I'd watch where I was going if I were you."

"I can see why. You're going to injure someone one of these days."

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain."

The two sat down at the coffee table once again and Percy laid his new pencil on the table top next to his books. Then, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a…something.

"What's that you got there?" Annabeth asked, curiously looking over his shoulder.

Annabeth saw Percy smile. "It's us."

It was indeed. What Percy held in his hand was a photograph of them from who knows how long ago. They had their arms around each other and their clothes were covered in what appeared to be cookie dough. Annabeth could tell that they were at Percy's house because the cookie dough was stained blue, as it had always been. They were smiling widely, Percy's two front teeth were missing and he also had some flour sprayed in his raven hair.

"My God," Annabeth breathed. "We look so _young_."

"We are," Percy agreed. "How old were we? There's no way that we're older than seven."

Annabeth laughed. "_I_ was seven and a half, for your information. That's your seventh birthday party."

Percy didn't reply; he was staring at the picture with his head cocked to the side. At last he said, "That was ten years ago, Annabeth, can you believe that?"

"No," she said quietly. "I can't really."

"I'm surprised that you've put up with me for that long," Percy said.

"To be honest with you Perce, I am too," said Annabeth, slightly annoyed that he ruined their moment. "And although how lovely this little reminiscing thing we've got going on here is, we should probably get back to our algebra now."

Percy nodded his head and resumed the motion of tapping his pencil against the table.

Annabeth was starting to get worried about Percy. This constant tapping meant that something was on his mind, and he wasn't making any progress with his maths homework. He seemed to have forgotten everything that they'd learnt in the past three weeks and he kept zoning out with his eyes fixed on a blank spot on the wall.

"Are you okay, Percy?" Annabeth asked him.

He sighed before answering, "Yeah. I suppose."

Annabeth put down her calculator and closed the textbook. "Are you sure about that? You don't _seem _okay."

Percy put his head in his hands. "I don't know, Annabeth. I don't know."

"What's up?" Although Annabeth may have sounded nonchalant, she was genuinely concerned for Percy. Over the past week, she had noticed a significant change in his behaviour; instead of disrupting class with stupid comments he was gazing out of the nearest window, instead of joking in the cafeteria with her as he usually did he was significantly quieter and somehow more jumpy around her. Annabeth had shrugged it off, thinking that it was a phase, but now she seemed sure that it's something bigger.

Percy didn't look at her. "I don't know."

Moving closer to him, Annabeth cautiously nudged her shoulder against his, afraid that if she touched him, he'd shatter into a thousand pieces. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"

He drew a shaky breath. "Yeah," he said. "I know."

"So?" Annabeth asked. "What's wrong?"

Percy mumbled something incoherent before blushing profusely.

"What?"

Sighing, Percy ran his fingers through his hair and looked at Annabeth. He closed his eyes and she couldn't quite comprehend what was making him like this.

"It's a girl," he said.

A million things went through Annabeth's head in a span of no more than three seconds. Most of it was shock, that Percy – forever dateless Percy – actually liked a girl. It wasn't that girls didn't like him, quite the opposite, actually. He was quite the catch with the ladies, which often lead to Annabeth glaring at them a lot more than would be considered normal.

But after the shock subsided, it hit her: Percy liked someone.

It felt like her heart had been ripped out of her chest and crushed under the Empire State. Percy liked someone. Someone that wasn't her.

Smiling weakly, Annabeth sighed. "It's a girl, huh?"

"Yeah."

She paused for a moment. "What's the problem then? Did she reject you?"

Percy groaned. "It's worse than that, Annabeth. She doesn't know I like her. Heck, I don't think she'd _ever_ like me in that way. She's just so…perfect."

Feeling the words tumble out of her mouth, Annabeth said "Well, what do you want to do about it then?"

"Tell her," Percy mumbled. "But I don't know how."

"Have you tried?"

"More than once."

"Then it seems that we've got our work cut out for us," said Annabeth, reaching for a blank sheet of paper. Although it hurt to know that Percy liked someone else, she wanted him to be happy, and she had a couple of ideas.

"Wait," Percy said. "What do you mean '_we'_?"

Annabeth turned to him. "I'm going to help you, Seaweed Brain."

She saw him smile. "Oh. Okay."

Looking away from Percy's grin, Annabeth sighed and wished that she could disappear.

* * *

**There's Part 1 completed. Keep an eye out for Part 2, which should be out very soon. **

**Thanks again everyone!**

**Kisses,  
Daphne**


	3. Part 2

**Hello everyone! Thanks again for the positive reviews.**

**I have literally just finished writing this, so it's unedited. If there are any mistakes, please let me know and I'll change them ASAP.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians**

* * *

PART 2

Annabeth scribbled one more line on the paper in front of her before turning back to Percy, who was anxiously peering over her shoulder.

"Okay," she said. "I've come up with a list of ideas on how you can tell her."

Percy leaned back on the couch and ran a hand through his dark hair, making Annabeth's heart flutter. "What have you got?"

"Here we go. Number One," Annabeth glanced over at Percy, feeling his gaze on her skin. "Go up to her and ask her on a date."

Percy scrunched his nose in a way that Annabeth knew meant _'Nope. Never going to happen.'_ She breathed a silent laugh at how he was so childish at sometimes.

"Fine. We'll scratch that one." Annabeth drew a jagged line through the first bullet point. "Number Two: Serenading."

"What's that?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "You know: sing her a song, play guitar outside her bedroom window – actually, I don't think that will be much of a success either."

Percy grimaced. "I second that."

The thought of Percy singing had brought back memories from a karaoke night that the two went to when they were fourteen. Annabeth shook her head, remembering the way that the manager of the store ushered them out after receiving several harsh complaints about how Percy's voice sounded like a dying cat. Personally, Annabeth felt like that was offensive to the cats.

"Yeah," she smiled. "I don't think the 'waiting outside her window' thing would go down too well either."

After crossing that one off her list, she moved on to option Number Three.

"What about something big; making an announcement over the PA or hiring the cheerleading squad to do something. I know the glee club is always available."

"She wouldn't want the attention," said Percy, shaking his head. "Besides, it would be all the more embarrassing if I get rejected."

Annabeth nodded; his logic was reasonable. She looked down at the paper and saw that there were only two options left and she immediately scribbled out Number Five, which read _Treasure Hunt_, and Annabeth knew for a fact that organising a treasure hunt was the most least-like-Percy thing to do.

"What have we got left?" Percy asked.

Annabeth looked down at option Number Four. "Something from the heart," she said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, something really personal: nothing too extravagant, but symbolic and meaningful."

Percy put his chin in his hand, thinking for a few moments. Annabeth's heart, for an unknown reason, was beating rapidly as he turned his gaze away from her and looked at the piece of paper in front of him.

"What about you?" Percy asked suddenly, whipping his head around to look her in the eyes.

"What about me?"

"Well," Percy shrugged, fiddling with the zipper of his jacket, "what would you want? If someone was to tell you that they liked you? How would you want him to do it?"

Annabeth felt oddly flattered at his question. She felt her cheeks heat up, and was momentarily glad that Percy was as oblivious as a doornail. But she still had to answer his question.

"Well," she began, "I suppose that I'd like something simple; something that told me just how much I mean to that person." Annabeth paused. "I think a letter would be nice."

"Like a love letter?"

"If you want to call it that," she mused.

Percy smiled. "I like that idea."

"Huh?"

"Writing a letter."

Annabeth glanced at him inquisitively. "You'd actually write a love letter to this girl?"

"Why not?" Percy shrugged.

She gave him a broad smile and didn't answer. But that smile quickly waned as she remembered that the letter he was going to write was for another.

"Do you need help?"

Percy nodded his head slightly. "Please."

Annabeth checked her phone. "Okay. We have about two hours before I've got to get going, so we'd better get to work."

"What?" Percy asked. "We're doing this _now?"_

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "There's no time quite like the present, isn't there Seaweed Brain."

"I suppose not," Percy mumbled. He stared at her for a minute. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Why aren't you writing anything?" he asked.

"It's your letter," Annabeth said. "I'm not writing it for you."

"But I don't know how to write a love letter."

Annabeth thought for a moment. "Well," she said, "it would help if you actually told me who she was."

Percy flushed a light shade of red.

"Fine. Don't tell me who she is," Annabeth grumbled. She had a feeling about who the girl that Percy liked was. Over the past two weeks, he had been spending time with Rachel Elizabeth Dare (who always introduced herself using her full name), an artist in the making who had the same Homeroom as her. Percy talked about her a lot, and Annabeth could understand why he'd like her. She _was_ very pretty; you could spot her flaming red hair from a mile away.

"At least tell me what she's like," Annabeth coaxed.

Percy sighed and mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath.

"Percy," Annabeth said, beginning to grow impatient. "We're never going to get anywhere unless you tell me _something_ about her."

He leaned back on the couch. "She's got the most amazing hair."

Definitely Rachel.

"That's a good start," Annabeth praised, silently cursing Rachel Elizabeth Dare under her breath. "Anything else?"

"She has pretty eyes."

Rachel's eyes were green and framed by thick lashes. One would almost call them exotic.

"But she has a temper and scares me sometimes."

Annabeth thought of the way that Rachel's temper flare up, fiery enough to rival her hair.

_Well,_ Annabeth thought with a sad smile, her heart twanging. _At least we're getting somewhere._

"And even though she's way too good for me, I think that I'm in love with her."

Annabeth's world came crashing down right in front of her eyes.

* * *

_"__To the most beautiful girl in the world,_

_This is the hardest letter that I've ever had to write (not that I've written many letters in the first place) but I hope that you take the time to read it. You are –"_

"Stop!"

"Why? I already know what you've written."

"I know that, but just don't read it out loud like that," Percy pleaded, sighing.

Annabeth nodded and put down the letter. They had worked for the past hour and a half trying to write a letter that sounded at least partially romantic and since Percy was quite embarrassed about his new-found crush, it took Annabeth quite some time to pull out things about the girl.

In the end, Percy was left with a completed love letter, and Annabeth hoped that Rachel appreciated just how much time it took for him to work up the courage to write it. Honestly, Annabeth didn't even know if he was going to give it to her. Percy wasn't exactly the boldest of types.

"I think we did good," Percy said, smiling at her.

Annabeth didn't even bother correcting him. "Yeah," she smiled sadly, "we did real good."

Suddenly, Annabeth's mind was filled with images of Percy and Rachel. Together. She saw them holding hands in the hallways and sneaking glances at each other during class. She saw them cuddling at the movies and kissing at her doorstep when they think her parents are looking.

It all suddenly became too overwhelming for Annabeth to handle, and she muttered a brief _'Excuse me'_ to Percy before getting up and rushing to the bathroom. She didn't know if Percy was following her but, frankly, she didn't care. Looking in the mirror and bracing herself over the basin, Annabeth studied her reflection with a calculating stare.

What did Rachel Elizabeth Dare have that she didn't? Was it her personality? Was she too cold and calculating? Was she too cooped up in her studies? She couldn't remember the last time that she and Percy had hung out together – just the two of them. Was she too plain? Was she too pushy? After all these years of being friends, was that how Percy saw her: just a friend?

Annabeth saw that her eyes were starting to turn red, and she forcefully choked back a sob. Annabeth Chase does _not_ cry. Ever. She didn't cry when she was seven and fell off her bike. She didn't cry when her friends made fun of her when she was twelve. She didn't cry when her mom died when she was fourteen. She didn't cry when her first boyfriend broke up with her six weeks later. And she would _not _cry over Percy Jackson.

"Annabeth?" A voice jarred her out of her thoughts. It was Percy. When she didn't reply, she heard him knocking on the bathroom door. "Annabeth? Are you okay?"

Annabeth took three slow, deep breaths before answering, "Yeah. I-I'm fine."

"Could you come out?"

Annabeth didn't reply.

"Please?"

She slowly leaned back from the basin and unlocked the door. She opened it and slipped out of the bathroom without looking Percy in the eye.

"Annabeth," said Percy, softly, "are you alright?"

She nodded and continued to stare at the wall. She felt Percy's cool fingers on her skin as he cupped her cheek, making her look at him.

"Are you sure?"

She leaned out of his touch and he let his hand hang in the air for a moment before dropping it back down to his side. "Yeah," Annabeth said. "Just thinking."

"About your mom?"

Annabeth didn't know why, but she found herself nodding at Percy's question. Perhaps it was easier.

She found herself being pulled into Percy's chest as he wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her in a hug. In turn, Annabeth snaked her arms around his waist, pulling him close. She lay her head against his chest and for some reason, it made her feel better. Now that was ironic.

Annabeth broke away from their embrace when she heard the sound of a key being twisted in a lock. Mrs Jackson was home.

"Percy? Are you in here?"

Percy walked down the hall towards the kitchen. "Yeah, Mom."

Annabeth followed suit. "Hey, Sally."

"Annabeth!" Mrs Jackson cried. "I haven't seen you in almost a week!"

"It's been too long," Annabeth laughed, giving her a hug.

"Are you going to stay for dinner? I can set another place at the table if you like. Paul should be back from the shops in a minute. We're having pasta –"

"Actually, Sally," Annabeth said, apologetically, "I was just on my way out."

"You were?" asked Percy, looking disappointed.

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah. My dad wants me home in a couple of minutes."

"Oh, that's a shame," said Sally. "Well, come by again soon. Paul will be sorry that he missed you."

"I see him every day,," Annabeth laughed, gathering her books. "He's more likely to want to get rid of me."

"Nonsense!" Sally exclaimed. "You're one of his favorite students!"

"Goodbye, Sally," Annabeth said, giving her another hug. "I'll come by on the weekend if that's alright with you."

"That sounds wonderful, dear," smiled Sally, returning the embrace.

Annabeth slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way to the door, with Percy following closely behind her.

"Thanks for the help today, Annabeth," he said, opening the door for her. "I honestly don't know what I'd do without you."

"What are friends for?" Annabeth smiled, trying to slow the beating of her heart.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to drive you home?" Percy asked, his eyebrows furrowing in a way that made Annabeth's heart flutter.

"I'll be fine," she said. "I'll enjoy the walk."

Percy's face fell slightly. "Oh, alright. I'll see you tomorrow then?"

"Definitely," Annabeth replied. "And, er, let me know how it goes with the letter and everything."

"You'll be the first. You really are the bestest friend ever, Annabeth."

"Thanks," she smiled, giving him one last hug. "See you tomorrow, Seaweed Brain."

Annabeth waved goodbye and made her way down the stairs of the apartment building, trying with all her might not to look back. She smiled at Argus the Doorman and made her way down the busy streets of New York.

She wasn't exactly paying much attention to where she was going and it seemed like her feet were on autopilot, guiding her home. All Annabeth could think about was the way that Rachel's face would light up when she read the letter.

Sighing, she made her way up the steps of the front porch of her house and unlocked the door, suddenly wishing that she had taken up Sally's offer of staying for dinner.

* * *

Annabeth had a hard time sleeping that night. She felt like too much was on her mind. Throughout the course of the evening she had decided that Percy was an absolute imbecile, which wouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone.

It wasn't that the boy was stupid. Because he wasn't. Annabeth was one of the few people who actually understood his full potential, and it was a lot more than most people would expect. Percy was quite bright, but just didn't apply himself. Ever since they had started high school Annabeth had tried to get him to focus, but he just didn't want to. He had seemed...distracted.

But even so, Percy remained as oblivious as anyone could imagine.

Annabeth found it quite hard to fathom how her 'crush' on Percy had gone unnoticed by him for so long: three years and two months to be exact. Not that she was counting or anything. Because she wasn't. Annabeth remembered how, at Percy's fourteenth birthday party, their hands had brushed and her heart had leapt. At the time she didn't know what it meant, but ever since that moment, she felt flushed whenever she was around him.

Many other moments crossed Annabeth's mind that night. She remembered their first day of Middle School together; two scared pre-teens who had no idea what they were getting themselves into. She remembered the times that she cheered him on at his swim meets that she went to. Annabeth had pretended that she hated going because they clashed with her chess club gatherings, but she was secretly glad that he dragged her along. Besides, it's not every day that she got to see Percy wearing nothing but his swim trunks.

Annabeth had always admired Percy's connection with the water, and had only hoped that someday she'd find something that she was as equally passionate about. Annabeth remembered how happy Percy was when he found out that he had been voted Swim Team captain, and he'd taken the responsibility far more seriously than Annabeth would have expected.

Countless more memories flooded Annabeth's mind that night: their first year of summer camp together, their yearly trips to Montauk and the Christmases that they spent tucked in Mrs Jackson's lounge room.

Annabeth blushed through the darkness as she remembered one particular Christmas. She and Percy were fifteen and after Christmas dinner, they were somehow caught underneath the mistletoe. Percy's ears had turned red, the way they did when he was embarrassed, and had pulled her in for a very awkward kiss. Annabeth, on the other hand, could feel her heart beating so hard that it was almost jumping out of her chest.

She was sure that something would have changed with her and Percy's relationship – that perhaps he'd kiss her again, that he'd ask her out on an awkward first date to the movies or that he'd profess his undying love for her, but it was all wishful thinking. Nothing changed; their kiss was never spoken of again.

Outside her window, Annabeth could hear the sound of car horns in the distance – the sound of busy people with busy lives who were out and about at that ungodly hour. She had no idea on how long she'd been awake, and her thoughts trailed to the day ahead of her.

That was a mistake, as she immediately thought of the letter that she and Percy had written, and that lead to thinking about Rachel Elizabeth Dare, for whom Annabeth had discovered a newfound hatred.

Rubbing her eyes and trying to free her mind from the vivid image of Percy and Rachel kissing, Annabeth rolled over to look at her clock. _3:04_.

Great. She was lying awake at three A.M. with an English Literature test that morning, while the rest of the world slept soundly. And they probably didn't have an English Literature test either.

* * *

Annabeth was not having a good morning.

She had gotten no more than three and a half hours sleep due to her overactive consciousness, she had stubbed her toe on the end of her bed _twice_ and her twin brothers had spilled their breakfast all over her new shirt, meaning that she had to get changed, and that meant that she was running late. She also had an English Literature test during third period (one which she had forgotten to study for) and, to top it all off, today was the day that Percy was going to give Rachel the letter.

Oh and it was raining too.

Normally Percy would have picked her up for school, but he happened to have swimming training that morning, which Annabeth was secretly glad about. She didn't exactly want to talk to him at the moment.

So, Annabeth was now trudging through the pouring rain without an umbrella, unable to avoid getting mud in her shoes, her hair looked like a dripping blonde mess and she couldn't get Percy out of her mind.

_Stupid Seaweed Brain._

Scowling like there was no tomorrow Annabeth walked into Goode High, where she could see the faces of her smiling classmates. She thought about how strange it was that people seem a lot happier when she is not. That didn't really help her mood; thinking that just made her scowl even more.

Drudgingly, she made her way slowly to her locker, bumping into countless people in the process. Annabeth shrugged her bag up higher onto her shoulder and turned down the hall.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw a certain someone standing at a certain someone _else's_ locker. Percy was smiling and Rachel was beaming ear to ear, talking excitedly to him about who knows what.

Well, Annabeth knew. There was only one thing that they _could_ be talking about. And from the looks of things, Percy's letter worked.

Annabeth choked back tears as she stormed past the two, trying furiously to open her locker and trying even harder to get the image of Rachel's had on Percy's shoulder out of her head. She banged furiously on her locker door, which caused it to fly open and hit her elbow.

It really wasn't her day.

Biting back countless curses, Annabeth stuffed her bag into her locker and slammed the door so hard that a piece of stray paper got caught. She plucked the paper from the locker door and went to shove it in her jacket pocket, and absentmindedly looked over her shoulder.

Percy was leaning against the lockers, staring at her, and Rachel was nowhere in sight. The tips of Percy's ears were starting to go red.

_Great,_ Annabeth thought to herself, turning away from Percy and marching down the hall._ Percy and Rachel have a date, and the day hasn't even started._

She shoved her hands into her pockets and felt the piece of paper rustling against her fingertips. Stopping outside the classroom, Annabeth pulled it out and unfolded it.

Annabeth froze and the paper fluttered to the ground. Nothing made sense. And yet, everything did make sense. She knelt down and picked up the paper with trembling hands, praying that she hadn't been dreaming.

Her heart stopped as she read the first line that was written on the paper. She read it over and over again.

_To the most beautiful girl in the world…_

The End

* * *

**There you go. Were any of you expecting that?**

**Please let me know what you think. All reviews are welcome and I appreciate the feedback.**

**Oh, and one more thing. If you guys want me to, I was thinking about writing a Percy POV for this story. So basically, have the story again but with Percy's thoughts and feelings and stuff. Or would you like an epilogue? I know I didn't exactly give you the 'Percabeth get-together' scene, so if you'd like me to write it, let me know and I'd be more than happy to!**

**Thanks again to everyone!**

**Kisses,  
Daphne**


	4. AN UPDATE

**Hey everyone!**

**Due to the overwhelming response, I have decided to do both Percy's POV ****_and _****an epilogue. I don't know when they're going to be posted, but I have started Part 1 of Percy's POV and it should be up soon.**

**Thanks to everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed, they all mean so much to me.**

**Keep an eye out for the next chapter!**

**Kisses,  
Daphne**


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